Kobe Bryant Announces Retirement (In The Form Of A Poem)

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant stands on the court during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in early November. On Sunday, Bryant announced this season would be his last, in a poem posted online.

Mark J. Terrill
/ AP

Originally published on November 29, 2015 9:31 pm

In a poem posted on the Players' Tribune website, five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant says that this season will be his last.

The 37-year-old Lakers player "is currently struggling through the worst season of his illustrious 20-year NBA career," as Reuters puts it.

The injury-plagued star has been very well compensated for his disappointing performance, reports ESPN:

... Despite the rough start to the season, the Lakers have publicly supported Bryant. Lakers coach Byron Scott told ESPN on Friday that he would not bench the 17-time All-Star for his poor play.

Bryant is in the final year of a two-year deal that will pay him $25 million in 2015-16, making him the NBA's highest-paid player this season.

In his poem, "Dear Basketball," Kobe writes that he has loved the sport ever since he was a kid rolling up socks and "shooting imaginary / game-winning shots."

"You asked for my hustle / I gave you my heart," he writes — and, later, "This season is all I have left to give."